City News Blog

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Lakeland – For the third year, the entire country is invited to come together as one community to honor the memory of those firefighters who died in the line of duty and reassure their loved ones that their firefighter will not be forgotten by participating in the Bells Across America for Fallen Firefighters remembrance.

The Lakeland Fire Department will join the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), other fire departments, and community groups from coast to coast in this poignant tribute as part of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend. The moment of remembrance will occur on Sunday, October 6, 2013 at 10:00 AM at all Lakeland fire stations and at participating locations throughout the Lakeland area. This day also marks the beginning of Fire Prevention Week.

“It is with great sadness that we ring these bells for fellow firefighters who have fallen in the line of duty. It allows us to reflect on the ultimate sacrifice they have made for their communities. It is my hope and desire to never have to ring a bell again because of a firefighter perishing while serving.” said Lakeland Fire Chief Gary Ballard.

“The ringing of bells has a powerful meaning to firefighters. Not only do bells signal the beginning or end of a call, they also were used to notify department members that one of their own had died while serving the community.” explained Chief Ronald Siarnicki, executive director of the NFFF.

Hundreds of fire departments, places of worship and other groups participated in Bells Across America for Fallen Firefighters over the past two years.

LAKELAND -- On Monday, August 19th, Tuesday, August 20th, and Wednesday, August 21st, 2013, the Lakeland Fire Department (LFD) will be promoting driving safety by reminding motorist that they should slow down and buckle up in consideration of school being back in session. The LFD will have a fire engine and/or rescue truck positioned at the busiest intersections near thirteen elementary schools in the department’s coverage area.

Firefighters will be holding signs encouraging safe driving by reminding motorist to drive slowly in school zones and to buckle up. Firefighters will be stationed at high visibility roadways and intersections near the schools. The Lakeland Fire Department’s goal is to ensure that no child is injured this school year by a negligent driver. Since the beginning of this safety campaign in 2009, incidents involving motorist striking pedestrians have steadily declined.

LFD apparatus and firefighters will be targeting the following schools at these intersections:

Lakeland Area Elementary School

Targeted Roadway / Intersection

Campaign Hours During Student Drop Off

Campaign Hours During Student Pick Up

Blake Academy

Hartsell Ave. / Sikes Blvd.

7:00 - 7:45 AM

2:15 - 3:15 PM

Carlton Palmore Elementary

Cleveland Heights Blvd. / Westover St.

7:00 - 7:45 AM

2:15 - 3:15 PM

Cleveland Court Elementary

Edgewood Dr. /Carolina Ave.

7:00 - 7:45 AM

2:15 - 3:15 PM

Dixieland Elementary

Ariana Rd. in front of school

7:00 - 7:45 AM

2:00- 3:00 PM

Jesse Keen Elementary

Wabash Ave. in front of school

7:00 - 7:45 AM

2:00- 3:00 PM

Lincoln Avenue Academy

Lincoln Ave. / 10th St.

7:00 - 7:45 AM

2:00- 3:00 PM

North Lakeland Elementary

Robson St. / Baird Ave.

7:00 - 7:45 AM

2:15 - 3:15 PM

Philip O'Brien Elementary

Lime St. / Lake Parker Ave.

7:00 - 7:45 AM

2:15 - 3:15 PM

Rochelle School of the Arts

MLK Jr. Ave. / 10th St.

7:00 - 7:45 AM

2:00- 3:00 PM

Sleepy Hill Elementary

Griffin Rd. /Kathleen Rd.

7:00 - 7:45 AM

2:15 - 3:15 PM

Southwest Elementary

South Florida Ave. / Oak St.

7:00 - 7:45 AM

2:00- 3:00 PM

* McKeel Academy Central

North Florida Ave. / Oak St.

8:00 – 9:00 AM

2:30 – 3:30 PM

* South McKeel Elementary

Academy

South Edgewood Dr. in front of school

8:00 – 9:00 AM

2:45 – 3:45 PM

* McKeel and South McKeel will be visited on Thursday, August 15 and Friday, August 16 for their first days of school.

All of our units will remain available to respond to emergencies during these times. For more information contact Janel Vasallo at (863)834-8219 or Janel.vasallo@lakelandgov.net.

LAKELAND, FL (June 7, 2013) – The Lakeland Fire Department will officially open the temporary fire facility at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport on Monday, June 10th at 9 a.m. with an unveiling of the new Fire Engine 71. The temporary station will house Engine 71 and the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) unit that is dedicated to public safety inside airport property. The temporary station will house six personnel on a 24-hour rotation with four dedicated to Engine 71 and two dedicated to the ARFF unit.

Engine 71 will be dedicated to serving residents and business in the Southwest Lakeland area. The unit was delivered to the Lakeland Fire Department in early May and then it was outfitted with equipment to get ready for service. Engine 71 was built in Appleton, Wisconsin by Pierce Manufacturing, a global leader in custom fire trucks and fire apparatus. The unit is equipped with a 55’ sky boom to assist in elevated aerial firefighting and it will be staffed with at least one paramedic for rescue response.

The permanent Fire Station 7 is estimated to be completed summer 2014. Once the facility is built it will house an additional fire fighting apparatus and 10 personnel on a 24-hour rotation. Lakeland Fire Chief Gary Ballard said, “Our design team is preparing the bid documents for Station 7 and we expect those packets to be ready later this summer. We hope to break ground for the new facility by early fall of this year.” He added, “We are very eager to start providing much needed service to the citizens in Southwest Lakeland and our temporary station will do that until we get our permanent facility built.”